Shellfish Chowder

Chowder is arguably one of the most comforting dishes to eat on a cold, winter night. I even ate it on quite a few occasions when I was living in Bangkok. The best supermarket for expats who are missing their local food is Gourmet Market, which is located in both Siam Paragon and the Emporium shopping centres. They always had a great range of chowders and bisques, and they were pretty much the only Western food that I ate while I was in Thailand. Seafood chowder is a beautiful and unique dish. Apart from the seafood, the basic ingredients of a chowder are relatively simple and almost what would be considered peasant food – potato, onion and bacon. These ingredients, combined with the delicious creamy soup, ensure that the seafood is not overwhelmed by exotic or overly robust flavours, and as such the flavour of the sea is the champion of a chowder.

You could add pretty much any type of seafood to a chowder – crustaceans, molluscs or fish. This recipe calls for clams, mussels and scallops. When preparing the seafood, it’s important to make sure that they have been scrubbed well and, in the case of mussels, de-bearded. De-bearding refers to the process of pulling out the hairy looking thing sticking out of the mussel. Don’t let it deter you from eating these! I used to find mussels quite unappealing, as they can often be tough and rubbery if overcooked. In this instance, they were cooked perfectly. Indeed, I don’t think I’ve ever eaten mussels that were so tender, and so I was very proud of that fact. One of the interesting things that I discovered in the course of preparing the chowder is the myth regarding mussels that fail to open after they have been cooked. The common belief is that if mussels don’t open, they aren’t suitable for eating. However, I discovered that it is, actually a myth. Unopened mussels are perfectly fine to eat – the reason for them not opening can just come down to the membrane of the mussel that is connected to the shell. Of course, if you want to be careful you can still throw these mussels out, but try to open them before you do so and you may discover that they’re perfectly fine, which is usually the case.

Chowder comes from the north-east of North America, namely New England and Newfoundland. There is a group of thought that chowder made its way to North America from France. While there are elements of this recipe that reflect French cooking, especially the use of thyme and white wine, there’s no concrete evidence that it actually came from France. As I’ve often said, a dish reflects the area from which it comes from, and chowder is certainly no exception. The north-east coast of North America has some of the best seafood in the world, especially crustaceans and molluscs. Seafood, subsequently, is a major part of the cuisine in that area and, given the very cold climate in those areas, a comforting soup that warms and fills the stomach and uses the freshest local produce is perfectly suited to the lifestyle of the locals. So I recommend this dish for a cold winter night, and crusty fresh bread, such as sourdough, is almost a necessity along with a nice glass of white wine.

Recipe (serves 4):

500g clams

500g mussels

8 scallops

1 cup water

½ cup dry white wine

1 bay leaf

8 sprigs thyme

2 brown onions, peeled & finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely diced (my addition)

4 rashers bacon, finely chopped

2 potatoes, peeled & finely chopped

2 cups single (pouring) cream

Sea salt & cracked black pepper

Soak the clams and mussels in cold water for 20 mins to remove any sand and drain. De-beard the mussels (pull and remove the hairy bit on the side of the mussel).

Place the clams, mussels, water, wine, bay leaf and thyme in a large saucepan. Cover and cook, shaking occasionally, over a medium heat for 5 mins.

Remove clams and mussels from the pan and discard any unopened ones. Reserve a few clams and mussels in their shells for serving. Remove the meat from the remaining ones and discard the shells. Strain the cooking liquid and set aside.

Cook the onion and bacon in a saucepan over a medium heat, stirring, until the onion is translucent. Add the potato, reserved cooking liquid and cream. Cover and simmer over a medium-low heat for 10 mins or until the potato is soft.

Add the scallops and cook for 2 mins, then add the clam and mussel meat, salt and pepper. Cook for 1 min or until warmed through. Serve in shallow bowls topped with the reserved clams and mussels in their shells and crusty bread on the side.

Cuisine: North American

Source: “Seasons” by Donna Hay

Rating: Five stars